Orange County | IN BRIEF / IRVINE

Water District, City Oppose Sewage Waiver

The Irvine Ranch Water District and the city of Irvine have voted to oppose renewal of a federal waiver that allows the Orange County Sanitation District to discharge sewage that is dirtier than allowed by nearly all of the nation's 16,000 public water-treatment agencies.

The waiver expires in 2003. The sanitation district's 25-member board must decide this year whether to seek renewal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board.

The water district and the city adopted the joint resolution Tuesday, joining a handful of Orange County cities that have adopted similar resolutions.